


Loud and Clear

by Rose_Avington



Category: Good Mythical Morning (Youtube)
Genre: Anxiety, Domestic Fluff, Hurt and comfort, Kissing, Lots of Angst, M/M, fixed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 09:38:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5738704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_Avington/pseuds/Rose_Avington
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link's feeling unsure and insecure in his future. Rhett finds him and helps his brother through his moment of doubt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loud and Clear

**Author's Note:**

> For my best friend in the whole world Ellis, who's a crispy pile of Rhink trash. Hope you like it bro.

“I can’t wait to see Link’s face when I show him this” Rhett thought allowed while scrolling through his phone.

He had been preoccupied for the better half of an afternoon checking through earlier comments from the previous video and the GMM hashtags on twitter searching for more suggestions for the wheel of mythicality. After going through countless submissions, some good, some bad, some too similar to ones they’ve used; and for some unknown reasons a few rickrolls -honestly it was 2016 already- he’d saved about 30 for review and one in particular had caught his eye. Standing from his seat and stretching his limbs that were aching from being stationary a little too long; he made his way to the back to find his best friend, waving and greeting the mythical crew members warmly.

“Link buddy you gotta come see this suggestion for the wheel I…” Rhett paused once his gaze fell onto his friend. Link was sitting alone at the office desk, shoulders slumped over and arms limp in his lap. There was a drained defeated aura he was giving off that made the air in the room itself feel heavy and depressing. Rhett could only imagine the crestfallen look that was on his face as he watched his usually bubbly and eccentric friend look so, glum. Normally his first instinct would’ve been to calmly ask what’s wrong and see if he could help but the taller man just stood there in the doorway, feeling there was a fierce demon his dear friend was battling. After a long moment the former stepped past the doorway and reached out a cautious hand onto Link’s shoulder. The other man hardly even flinched but offered a weak sigh towards the familiar touch.

 “Everything alright brother?” Rhett started first trying to get a clear assessment on how bad it was. Link gave him a clearly forced weak smile that struck a chord in Rhett.

“I don’t know any more man.” Link said softly. He looked towards the ground and the latter could’ve sworn on his life he saw the beginnings of tears forming in the big blue eyes filled with pain.

“Talk to me.” He tried real hard not to add a please on the end of that, his concern showing through. Link turned to face him properly and rested his hand over the one on his shoulder, stroking the back of it with the pad of his thumb trying to reassure his friend.

“It’s not Christy is it?” Rhett interjected, “or the kids?” Trying to find the root of the problem through process of elimination was always his first method of choice, it’s how the healing part of their friendship worked. A dynamic that passed the test of time.

“No it’s not Chris she’s… she’s great and the kids are fine too it’s just,” At this point he wasn’t sure if he could hold back a choked sob any longer. “It’s everything and nothing man you know? I have a beautiful loving wife, great kids, and a family. I have a paying job I love going to everyday that I get to do with my best friend in the world and I should be so happy and everything’s so perfect and I’m healthy but I…” Rhett’s fingers were now interlocked with his friend’s, as if it were a natural rhythm they’d become accustomed too and had hardly noticed.

“I’m scared man, I’m scared we’ll wake up one day and it’ll all be gone. Like what if Jess decided to leave me and she takes the kids or we lose all our followers and we’re out of a job or the world ends or the kid’s get hurt or…” He stopped himself and adverted his gaze. There was a long silence after that and Rhett kept his eyes on Link all the while, giving him the time he needed to finish.

“What if I lose you man?” he said finally.

 Rhett looked down in shock. How long had his friend been heading this?  Was he pondering these thoughts allot recently? Did this just hit him in a wave out of nowhere? What if these haunting thoughts kept him awake at night? Rhett took his first real look at Rhett since he walked into the room and felt his heart sink in his chest. Link was just so tired. He looked as if he wasn’t sleeping at all and his skin paled to a worrying tone. The poor man looked like he was on the verge of collapse, his eyes were frantic and full of panic with deep bags weighing on them. His boyish, charming smile was replaced with quivering lips and bit back whimpers. The light and happiness he usually emitted was gone. Link didn’t even look like Link anymore.

Rhett was taken aback by all of it, all of this raw sadness Link was feeling was just so painful. It was in that moment Rhett realized what the bad feeling that’d been nagging at him from the back of his mind concerning his dear friend was. He had a gut feeling something was wrong with Link, he wasn’t acting like himself. Rhett noticed it allot these past few days, the downtrodden expressions, the exasperated sighs and sudden drops in enthusiasm whenever Link was speaking. It’s too subtle for any of the other Mythical Crew to catch on, Chase might be the exception, but Rhett picked up on it like a tremor on a seismograph. He knew the Neal so well he could almost feel when something distressed him, no matter how small. They had that strong of a connection, a bond not even their wives had with them. After for what felt like an eternity Rhett finally had the courage to speak.

“Link look at me.” In a jerking motion he gave a slight squeeze to the hand that he held and placed his other on Link’s shoulder. “Look at me man, I’m here, _and we_ are here together right now. The crew is outside that door, our wives are both at home and the kids are with them and they were like that yesterday and it’s going to be like that tomorrow.” Link looked as if he might protest but Rhett stopped him.

“I get it man, I get it. I’m a father too. “The hand that was on his friends shoulder moved up to the base his neck, trying to draw them closer.

“I’m a father I’m a husband, I’m a man with allot of responsibilities.” Link looked at him for the first time, a single tear had fallen down his face and it appeared more would follow suit. Rhett wiped it away gently in an attempt to keep Link together. After letting out a slight chuckle he continued “I’m also a Mythical Beast, and I’m also your best friend.”

He smiled then hoping Link would do the same. When the former failed to comply Rhett’s hand stayed at the side of his head and leaned and said,

“Those are all the things I know for sure, and I’ll there’s one more thing I’m sure of. I know that no matter what I’m going to stay right here with you. I’m going to be helping you as you always did for me, working to fortify the life we built together. Keeping the show going and the channel running.” He brought his voice down to a softer tone.

“And we’re going to take this one day at a time together ok?”  Link shut his eyes tight ready to let the flood gates open but Rhett wouldn’t loosen his grip on the other man.

“Do you read me brother?”

Link took a whole five minutes till he was able to face Rhett. He looked at him watery eyes and a weak, but genuine smile. Rhett would’ve bet money that he was wearing a similar if not the same expression. He was relieved when he saw the shimmer of hope in those baby blues. It was sign that things were going to be alright now, that they were going to push through side by side as they always did. Brothers against all odds.

“Yeah brother. Loud and clear.”

It was like a giant weight had been lifted from their shoulders. The tension in the room seemed to dissipate and quiet, cautious giggles soon turned to loud joy filled laughs that rang throughout them. Almost as if their serious heart to heart was a small inside joke between friends. When the noise subsided and they’d calmed down a bit Rhett looked at Link with the warmest of expressions.

What came next was somewhat of surprise to Link. He suddenly felt the gruff but soft feel of Rhett’s beard on his face. His friend had placed a tender, chaste kiss upon his cheek. Links eyes widened and his breathing hitched for a brief moment. He stopped dead in tracks to process the whole thing. The kiss had ended as soon as it begun. Following came the sensation of heat rushing to his face and the tell-tale tinge of pink dusting across his features. Link tried to not draw back to quickly and show his embarrassment from being caught off guard.  Rhett only kissed him on the occasions where it was needed the most. _“Or when there was enough alcohol involved”_ A voice in the back of his head reminded him. When it did happen it was never more than a brief, chaste touch of lips to Links face. Nothing more, nothing less. This time was no exception.

Link was still too caught up in the moment to realize Rhett had risen from his place next to him and was already walking out the door when he called back to him.

“Now come see this suggestion left by a viewer, you’re going to love it.”

The latter blinked up at him before smiling again.

“I’m coming man.”


End file.
